Try this Sesame Coconut Kale Salad recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 large bunch of kale stem removed and torn into bite-sized pieces (about 5 packed cups)
- 1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
- 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut (i like to use ribbon coconut but shredded works, too)
- 2 mandarin oranges peeled and segmented
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon each: maple syrup and grapeseed oil (or other neut
- Carbohydrate 3.72910499695012 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 11.3206666563162 g
- Fiber 1.9844999983224 g
- Protein 2.41599999797282 g
- Saturated Fat 1.59421016520816 g
- Serving Size 1 1 generous serving (48g)
- Sodium 3.94324999970425 mg
- Sugar 1.74460499862772 g
- Trans Fat 0.498109332877912 g
- Calories 126 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Toss a little over half of the kale with the sesame oil and place it on the baking sheet in a mostly single layer.
- Roast in the oven for 12 minutes, then remove the pan from the oven and push the kale to one side, keeping the single layer.
- Add the coconut to the tray and place it back in the oven for about 8 minutes, or until the coconut is lightly browned and the kale is crispy.
- While the kale and coconut are in the oven, whisk the dressing ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Add the raw kale, mandarin orange segments, and sesame seeds to the bowl and toss with the dressing.
- When the kale and coconut come out of the oven, add them to the bowl and toss gently.
Why does raw kale sometimes taste like cardboard while roasted greens shatter like glass? Achieving the right contrast depends entirely on splitting your greens into two distinct culinary treatments. Raw leaves require a vigorous acid-and-oil massage to break down their tough cellular walls, whereas oven heat rapidly evaporates moisture to render leaves crisp. Spreading the greens in a mostly single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet prevents steaming at 350 degrees.
Managing Moisture and Crunch
Ribbon coconut behaves differently than fine flakes in the oven, browning faster because of its surface area. Roasting the kale for twelve minutes before introducing the coconut prevents the flakes from burning while the greens finish dehydrating. Watch for a light golden hue on the coconut at the eight-minute mark, signaling the removal point from the oven. Combining hot, crunchy elements with chilled raw greens creates an immediate temperature contrast that requires prompt consumption for maximum structural integrity.
Storage and Residual Textures
Dressed raw kale holds its structure much better than traditional lettuce leaves due to its sturdy fiber content. Storing leftovers in a sealed container for up to twenty-four hours softens the raw portions slightly as the maple and rice vinegar penetrate the tissue. Re-crisping the baked kale components is not recommended once they absorb moisture from the dressing components.
